Hi. We are a design/style LA based company specializing in mixing eclectic styles on moderate budgets. Also we have a strange amount of fun blogging about all our design and style adventures. Right now I’m happy to say that I’m Target’s home spokesperson, bringing accessible/stylish design to the masses.

The REVEAL!!!!

Our Modern English Country Kitchen

The kitchen is finished and I love it so much. Throughout the entire renovation, which was quick for sure, I had an image of what it would look like, a visual goal that was keeping me focused and excited. I can’t believe how accurate it is to what I imagined. It’s a totally different house, but it’s still the same home. It’s open and light and functional, but still feels old world and soulful. Brian and I created a video series in partnership with Frigidaire Professional and Curbed.com. And if you want to jump to seeing it come to life watch the reveal episode HERE.

Nice job to my husband for producing that video. He did such an amazing job.

In case you are new, here is what it was like – the kitchen was small and awkward and the dining room was beautiful and light.

So we decided to break down that wall, add support beams, footings, and open up that entire room – but we wanted to do it in a way that felt integrious to the house. By making the ceiling line follow the same architecture of the house we really made it feel original.

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It’s such a magical room now. The light from the dining room gets into the kitchen, the flow is open and clear, and the kids can eat at the counter for breakfast and lunch, after they run around the back yard all day, which you can see from the dining room and now the kitchen. All my maternal fantasies are being played out in my head.

There is so much to talk about that I figured I’d break it down chronologically – in order of installation. You already saw progress shots, but now it’s time to see how all the ideas really played out.

The herringbone flooring. I’m doing a whole post on this so I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s white oak from BuildDirect with a clear matte sealant. It’s stunning, gorgeous and absolutely worth every extra penny of labor it cost. Details later, but I highly recommend it and so does my flooring dude (he said it was very high quality).

The cabinets:

We went custom and worked with a local company, Four Carpentry and they did an amazingly impeccable job. It was our third time working with them and I highly recommend that team. We chose inset cabinets, with flat panel doors and shaker uppers with a small detail that makes it feel a little more special:

We put furniture legs on the base which I think is a lovely detail, and then kept the profile of the cabinets thin. We added crown moulding that was a little more decorative as well as moulding under the uppers to help them feel finished. The cabinets cost $19k, and took 4 weeks (more details on timeline in the coming days).

We painted them Strong White, by Farrow and Ball which is a GORGEOUS taupey-gray white (we have since decided to paint our living room walls/ceiling that color). It’s such a lovely tone. Our cabinet guy wanted to use a lacquer for durability so he color matched it and it’s pretty close.

For hardware we went with a combination of painted knobs (generic and like $1 each) and long brass handles ($25).

I love how the knobs are quiet and feel a bit country and certainly unfussy. Whereas the handles feel sturdy and are un-lacquered brass (to match the faucet) and will patina beautifully.

We strongly considered latches on the uppers, but at the last minute decided to keep it more reserved.

We used black mesh (grills) in the cabinetry despite the fear of dust. I LOVE how it looks so much, folks. I was nervous about doing of them in gold for fear that it would be too blingy, but the matte black mesh is just perfect and brings so much depth into the room. WE bought them HERE and they cost almost $1k for all four (which was way more than I had planned, but I love them and they are custom).

In the back of the cabinets we put simple bead board to add more texture and depth, in a quiet way. Our cabinet guy sourced them and I’m pretty sure they were just generic panels from any local lumber store.

We had to build the farm sink into the cabinets (as per our cabinet makers request) so next up is that beautiful cast iron sink. I chose the Kohler Whitehaven which is a single versus a double based on many people’s recommendations and I’m so glad I did. It’s gorgeous and makes washing oversized items so easy.

Now for those appliances (which typically come in right after the cabinetry is all finished).

We worked with Frigidaire Professional, who provided the appliances. We choose the line because Brian and I are rather pros in the kitchen. Not really, but why not have professional-grade appliances in our beautiful kitchen? Another huge factor is that the full line features Smudge-Proof Stainless Steel so everything will always look polished.

We previously had a side-by-side fridge (our kitchen was small and we couldn’t fit a larger one) and I have to say that it’s insane how much easier to access and how much bigger it feels. Space isn’t all about square footage, it’s about how it’s laid out. We haven’t moved in yet, but we styled it all out for the shoot and just those two days there shooting it made me very excited to have it.

The shelves are adjustable and since it’s wide it feels easier to keep clean.

Birdie likes the simple, chunky streamlined handles, too.

The freezer drawer is easy to access and has a TON of storage. As someone who is unsatisfied by room temperature water and needs freezing cold water at all times, I am a huge fan of the front of door water/ice situation. As a kid I remember thinking someday, I’ll have one of those as if it was the sign that I’ve really made it. Now I know that a fridge is more streamlined without it, so if you aren’t a cold water addict (or if you have a cold filtered water somewhere else) then it might not be something you need.

Onto the range and hood. While these have some fun bells and whistles I’m happy to say that this appliance looks really simple still. The hood has a light and fan that is easy to use and the range has a warming setting in the oven (which I didn’t have before) which is a lovely option when you are trying to keep food warm for the whole family.

It also has a 2-in-1 Burner with a griddle attachment for pancakes, panini’s, burgers… stuff that we actually make a lot.

Charlie now asks to make pancakes every day and we promise him that when we move in (in 5 days!!) that our weekends will be full of this kind of adorable behavior (in between bouts of 3 year old insanity).

Again, those chunky knobs feel modern and clean and the interface is super simple to use.

Look at me roasting potatoes. By the way roasting is one thing I do because it requires way less moving parts. I shove a chicken and veggies in a dish and I find it to be the easiest way to make a well rounded meal that everyone actually likes.

On to the dishes:

I have promised myself that I won’t be allowing any dishes in the new house – I feel like all day every day we are doing the dishes. But we know we can’t do that, and surely I will have to deal with dishes at some point. So a dishwasher is inevitable and I love how this one is super simple and even has a 30 min wash cycle for those quick jobs and an adjustable top rack that helps make room for taller items so we get everything done in just one wash. It also automatically adjusts the clean cycle based on how much cleaning your dishes actually need.

It’s a fairly petite kitchen so I was happy that we found a place to put the microwave in the island. It’s tucked away but easy to access. Speaking of that floating piece of stress and anxiety in the middle of the room, AKA the island? Let’s chat about that for a bit.

I am VERY happy to say that this island is amazing and feels totally original to the house. The island controversy of 2016 certainly stole some of my sleep, not to mention probably 30 hours of debating, drawing, tweaking, drawing, and regretting, etc. Brian was so sick of talking about it and I was like ‘ha. imagine how WE feel?? Going through this process and forcing him to help me make decisions made him absolutely respect our job more. He felt the decision exhaustion and he was so thankful we kept him from most of the minutia.

Back to that beautiful island:

If you have a quirky shaped kitchen, turns out you can have a quirky shaped island. I think there are a few reasons why it works:

We followed the lines of the original house – the beam, and the kitchen walls.

We chose such a beautiful old-world style marble and had it shaped with that beveling which softened everything and made it feel old and original. If you have an old house I highly suggest doing a bevel like that. Our profile was called the OGEE BULL and not only is it beautiful, it’s kid friendly – no sharp anythings.

Let’s just say there was an ocean-sized sigh of relief when the stone went in and it was gorgeous.

I love having that ‘V-groove’ (larger than bead board and they come as individual pieces). It adds a lovely simple texture without adding any busy-ness. In a perfect world we will also put in a brass foot rail (How pretty would that be?). The color of the island is Green Smoke by Farrow and Ball, by the way and its VERY lovely.

I also love the curve of the stool against it as well as the petite size of these stools (they aren’t wide). Fun fact, we ordered the natural ones but they didn’t come in in time (2 days late) so we borrowed the white ones which I love even more, so now we are waiting for the white ones to come in January and we are returning the wood ones.

Onto the tile and marble.

I knew that I wanted something subtle in color but big in texture. Brian kept saying ‘but there is no color in the kitchen!!’ whenever I showed him the design plan, and I promised him that because it’s so small, a lot of color would make it look even smaller and busier. Remember the more contrast you have in a room the busier it is and the smaller it will look. However contrast in texture in a neutral color palette adds depth – which makes it look bigger.

We went with the subway tile idea, but used a 2×6 handmade tile in “weathered white” instead of the simpler white version. It is from Cle tile and I can say that it is ABSOLUTELY stunning.

It might be my favorite element in the kitchen. It’s warm and full of texture, but visually it’s so quiet. And it makes the kitchen feel bigger because it reflects so much light all day. I’ve caught myself so many tiles saying under my breath, ohmy god that tile is so pretty. The total cost of the tile was $1598, including overage, which I think it actually GREAT considering the impact it has.

On to the marble, that stunning piece of stone.

Brian and I talked long and hard about the risks of marble but ultimately our love of the old world finish and texture won. Since our house is so old we are absolutely fine with the marble looking old, too. While the first few big stains are going to hurt, ultimately once it feels lived in it will feel even older and more original to the house. Brian kept saying ‘like an old tavern!’ and I agreed. Which is why we also decided to do that beveling detail. We bought it at a stoneyard in the valley and it cost: $5, 182 for four smallish slabs. Not nothing, that’s for sure, but it is stunning.

Our fabricator did an amazing job at that ogee bull bevel and curving it around on the counter. It’s mostly white with some light green here and there, which was why we were so drawn to it. If we were going to spend $5k then it wasn’t going to be something you could find anywhere else. Fun fact, Michael S. Smith (Obama’s white house designer as well as just a generally VERY talented and famous designer) wanted these slabs so bad but he needed 88 of them and they only had 6. HA. I guess he is doing a full master bathroom from floor to ceiling in marble and was desperate for a green vein.

We chose a leather finish which is matte, but not honed. Its BEAUTIFUL and I highly recommend it.

Onto the lighting:

We faced a last minute lighting challenge as you might have seen on insta-story. Our chandelier that we had planned felt too big physically to Brian. I LOVE it and will use it somewhere else, and I didn’t totally agree with him, but he’s also a lot taller than I am and he lives here, too. So if he felt that it was too close to his face then I can’t really argue with him. Visually it looked great. So then we subbed out a cheap one that looked great, except not with the sconces. At the last minute we went shopping in the lighting district and found this pendant. It’s absolutely stunning and does indeed work much better than the original because it’s visually lighter.

It’s still big enough (20″ wide) but feels a lot smaller. Plus it’s an antique which I think this room needed. It looks GREAT with the sconces, thank god. We couldn’t really do pendants because of the shape of the island (they would have had to be too close together to really not hit someone in the head when they were standing on by the microwave. It’s complicated but trust me that one single round large scale pendant was the ideal and we found it! It was $1100 which wasn’t my favorite last minute budget surprise ever. But it was the night before the shoot and it was just perfect so that expensive trigger was pulled.

The sconces are more modern and I think help edge up the kitchen and bring in a little bit of 2017. It was hard to find some that fit that space, with some gold (but not all gold) and some black (but not all black). These are PERFECT. They are from Circa and are $496 each. Some of you made me doubt that they were too modern, but I love how they look and I think they absolutely work in the space – especially now that there is an antique pendant to balance them out.

Faucets:

Look at those gorgeous faucets. Oh man, they are so beautiful and solid and old world, but new and perfect. We got them from eFaucets.com which were very lovely to work with, and got them out faster than their usual 6-8 week lead time (custom finish). We used this faucet in the Silverlake kitchen and I fell in love with its shape and patina. It is unlacquered brass which means that it will patina as it has a ‘live’ finish. We’ve been told that this is high maintenance and that if not cared for properly they may corrode. After much debate we decided this was the only brass finish that we wanted and that the patina is more than welcome, despite it being more high maintenance. Again, our goal is that the age of the marble and the faucets will add more charm and soul into the kitchen. We will however wax it once a week to protect it. Then we coupled it with this hot water dispenser – because who doesn’t need a hot water dispenser. They also recommended a water softener which we are considering for multiple reasons (talk about the most boring way to spend money ever). If any of you have opinions on water softeners let me know. We were advised that there is no use to buying a cheap one, and that in order to really have it work it needs to be a model that costs around $3k. That is certainly not something we are willing to pay for right now, so i’m wondering if any of you have experience and can recommend doing it for any reason?

Wait. We forgot to talk about the single bit of proof that I am a success as a person, mom and cook – THE POT FILLER.

Thank god. I mean, the amount of times a week i’ve had to shlep a pot 3 feet from sink to stove is countless. I’m kidding … but kind of not. It’s definitely something I have always wanted because it just felt like a fantasy. I knew I would never have one unless I seriously renovated. But man, it is so pretty and I can’t wait to fill pot after pot with that beautiful faucet.

That may be it, folks. I’m writing a post right now about things that I learned, regarding timeline, budget and contractors. So there will be more information coming, but I don’t think I could possibly talk more about this kitchen.

Look at me doing my best Martha impression …. Also code requires two outlets on the island, as you can see which did bum me out, but obviously we need them for smaller appliances as well as laptops, etc. I’m debating covering them in a vintage brass cover but not sure if that will really help.

One last thing: what is contributing to my life excitement so much, every day, right now is the fact that the room is open to the dining room which looks over and opens to the backyard:

My life is going to get easier (a statement I repeat with hope all day when I’m there visiting). Right now, in our current house, which I LOVE, by the way, if we want to go outside and play we have to go up, outside on the deck off of the master bedroom. Kids can’t really play by themselves up there, so it feels like a mission.

So yes, this house is going to make my life easier, I just know it.

The doors are going to be left open 60% of the year, and the backyard is enclosed and so safe. We are moving this weekend, and I can barely contain my happiness.

Every day that I go over and visit I just think to myself this kitchen and dining room are magical. We haven’t designed the dining room yet, so I moved that table over from my office and bought my favorite classic chairs from Target until we figure out how we are using this room.

But I sure know how we are using this room – all day, every day, together. It’s honestly such an incredibly happy room, full of light and love. You know it takes a lot for me to use such cliche’d statements, but it’s just so true.

I feel truly like the luckiest person on the planet. We love that kitchen so much and we plan on making some seriously good memories here for years and years and years.

A few big thanks:

My design team – Ginny and Melanie. Obviously designing and executing a kitchen in 3 months is ambitious and I could have absolutely NEVER have done it without you. I am the luckiest person in the world to have such talented people helping me with my own kitchen. Besides all the technical stuff I thank you so much for helping me through my decision exhaustion and making sure that despite the fast timeline that I don’t have any regrets. THANK YOU.

Frigidaire and Vox Media. I would have designed the exact same kitchen that I did regardless of a sponsor, but having that extra push to get it done, with additional resources, and the ultimate excuse that this kitchen was going to be in a big video series really, really made this happen. THANK YOU. I love these appliances and can’t wait to cook (or stare at them) forever.

Brian and his production company Propeller Digital Media who directed, produced and edited the video series. Working with your husband can be tricky, but I’m so glad that for us it really works and is so much fun along the way. Watch the videos that we made for this project and see the kitchen and our family in action.

Belin from Mega-buiders. We got a few different bids but ultimately went with Belin because we had worked with him before and loved his work. He did an INCREDIBLE job (he’s done the whole house) and met our timeline as well as high quality.

*This kitchen was in partnership with Frigidaire but all words, designs and opinions are my own. All appliances were provided. Thank you so much for supporting the partners that support us creating quality design content for you.

Emily:
Simply beautiful! Congratulations!
I, too, in agreement with others, you may want to reconsider the natural barstools. I think it would ground the room and tie in with the beams in dining room. Still, though, it’s beautiful!
Wishing you many wonderful, happy meals to create and enjoy in that space.
Bon Appetit!

My grandmother had one of those whole house water filtration systems back when they were first offered. She paid around 7k for it. I always thought it was frivolous until o e day she ran out of the softener tablets and the shower felt ordinary. Lol I appreciated it more for things like showering rather than drinking. I think you should get it. If only so that you don’t corrode your faucet system faster. It looks lovely by the way. It’s a petite kitchen but it’s aesthetically pleasing and functional.

It’s beautiful. Simple and stunning. We are doing our kitchen in January so I’m planning on studying your details!
I wasn’t a fan of the island but it looks completely different than the sketches. I figured it would.

As a die-hard lover of mid-century design, I worried that this new, more “old world” direction wouldn’t resonate with me personally—but today, I found out that I can love “English Country,” too! Your new kitchen is absolutely stunning and so perfectly speaks to you as a designer!! You killed it, and I think I speak for ALL of us when I say you are a rock star…THREE MONTHS?! Time for a massive glass of champagne, girl!!

First, this is an amazing, totally thorough post, and thank you sooooooo much for listing all the pieces out. I am dithering endlessly about a kitchen redo and this is so helpful.
Second, OMG that tile. I will probably look at those pictures 30 times today.
Third, OMG Birdie, those pics kill me, she is so cute.
Fourth, a minor suggestion — if you hate the white outlet plate on the island, maybe you can paint it green to blend in? Not the outlets themselves, but just the plate? I did that on super-dark walls a few weeks ago (SW Grand Canal) and at first I thought “ugh, I’m painting plastic outlet plates, this will never work,” but now they completely disappear on the wall and it’s just the little faces of the outlets staring mournfully at me (don’t they always look dismayed?) until I get things plugged into them. But much better than the big white plastic thing.
Anyway. Overall, amazing work and so inspiring!

I was going to say the same! In my place I used a combo of metal covers and painting to have them blend in, and it makes a huge difference. On the island I think the same color paint would make them disappear.

Also, that backsplash is incredible. Given how lovely it looks in photographs, I can only imagine it’s even better in person!

A minor suggestion to Biscuit’s fourth minor suggestion. You can replace the outlet receptacle (a very quick swap) for a colored one that is in a similar tone to the green cabinet. Browns, bronze, even greens are readily available. Even the standard almond color that is in stock at any big box hardware store would not stand out like the shiny new white does. We have a older house and recently replaced all the partially painted outlets with almond receptacles and covers. Blended in much nicer with the wood floors and craftsman colors.

Or you can photoshop those minor nuisances for important photos and enjoy your lovely new home! Or just bypass the outlet and pet that fantastic tile.

It is absolutely stunning, Emily! I can’t wait to read the post on the floors. I wanted my floors laid in a herringbone pattern but, in the interest of time, was talked out of it. Yours look phenomenal. The natural looks so refreshing, too. Bravo!

We put in a cheap water softener ($400?) after researching and considering our budget. Our neighbors told horror stories about the water corroding appliances in the kitchen, laundry and water heater. The faucets and shower were always water spotted and the final straw was the etching of dishes in the dishwasher. Money well spent!

We moved into a house that had a water softener to deal with very hard CA well water. We learned very quickly that it no longer worked when the shower doors became cloudy, the kitchen countertop looked dull, and the toilets had rings — in days. After a lot of research, we put in a $400 softener from Home Depot (a GE) and hired a plumber to install it (another $250) and the improvement was noticeable almost immediately. Unexpected as it was, it was money well spent!

Yassssss girl!!!! I feel like this entire kitchen is an unpredictable twist for you, and I’m so happy you went this direction. I have seen the same kitchen over and over again (on the internet and social media), and despite loving them, it was beginning to feel so predictable. This has inspired me!

Lovely kitchen and the island turned out perfect for the space. just WISH you had used an integrated fridge and dishwasher so the focus was on the beautiful cabinetry rather than stainless steel!!… it really jars (to me) especially when in an old style kitchen.

Thank you for being so open about all the costs.

The beams in the dining room are looking beautiful – can’t wait to see the rest of the house!

Seems like we’ve gotten tons of feedback like this from non Americans. We love our appliances! I love that it breaks up and modernizes a kitchen. I have seen some gorgeous lyrics hidden appliances, but never here in the states. They always look like a faux cupboard door was glued to the appliances, so it is still totally obvious what is being camouflaged.

(which I saw in person because I’m doing a remodel on a low low budget) the fridge is to the right of the ovens and the dishwasher is to the right of the sink. How is “still totally obvious what is being camouflaged”?

I want to understand but I honestly cannot! Anyways, Emily’s kitchen is amazing!

I like integrated appliances and will be using them in my tiny kitchen BUT, they are easily twice the cost of standard appliances. It’s considered extremely high end to use integrated panel appliances and so there are fewer options and only the most expensive models give you the option.

True, and when the appliance fails (as did our KitchenAid panel-ready dishwasher after only four years) it really hurts to spend the $$$ to purchase a new integrated model (over $1K for the panel-ready as opposed to <$400 for the white-front dw, same manufacturer). Also, in our kitchen it means every new person who comes over we have to show them which are the fridge, the freezer, the fridge drawers, the dw, etc. Which is fine, I guess. I mean, our cabinet man and I did such a great job coming up with ideas to camouflage (our fridge + freezer towers have multiple false drawer fronts and are not next to one another, thereby furthering the hidden aspect) that no one can find them. But I love the way it looks so even with the inconvenience I'm not sure I'd do it differently … (but note I did not include the enormous cost difference which might make me rethink it!).

I’m an American Kitchen Designer and I tend to agree with Antonella. When it’s done well fully integrated refrigerators and dishwashers with cabinet panels are the best look for most kitchens. But to each her own! I do love Emily’s kitchen – visible appliances and all 🙂

Beautiful! Especially those Cle tiles and marble. Love those stools but my eyes are really wanting that natural tone instead of white for contrast. Not criticising here, just would like to see the natural ones plugged in for an option? I love when you show us all the options – you have us spoiled! But I love it all!!

HA. I still have the wood stools so maybe i’ll reconsider (although i don’t have the white because I had to return to store and am waiting for them to get back in stock). For some reason we all really agreed that the white stools were SLIGHTLY better – the wood just made it look busier and the kitchen is so small…. But i’ll reconsider!

I’m actually with you on this one! I’d love to see the warmth and natural finish of the wooden stools in here to break up all the paint! But, maybe it’s one of those things where it may look better in a picture than in real life.

I was thinking the same thing! I wish the chairs were wood tone too, maybe even with rattan seats. I feel like it would have tied in the warm details of the room and helped to transition to the dinning room with the wooden ceiling beams. If it’s too busy maybe have chairs with both white and natural wood together, or maybe even black and natural to pick up on those sconces? But still such a stunning kitchen. I’m amazed how you worked with those angles!

I love the kitchen, but I too had issues with the white chairs. At first the black sconces would not have been my first choice, but then I really studied them and I completely understand why she chose them. They picked up the black grate on the cabinets, the gold on the fixtures and added the modern touch to go with the appliances. What I would do is keep the white chairs, but paint the seats black, and paint the legs black up to about 4 or 5 inches high from the floor. It would bring in a little more black (add functionality) and a bit more trendy-modern style to pull the sconces to that part of the room and provide a transition from the dining room into the kitchen.

Totally random, but I wonder if you could paint those plastic outlet covers ( ya know, those prong thingy may bobs for child proofing) the same color green as the plate itself and maybe it would all blend away…
Just a thought =) Beautiful kitchen with so much inspiration! THOSE TILES, be still my heart

No, there are paintable outlet covers like those by Taymac or Masque. Here’s a link to an image from Google: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/319XOf%2BtElL._SY355_.jpg You can see all they allow is prongs, so they cover everything (including the override). We’ve had them in both low- and high-use areas for nearly nine years and I’ve yet to have one chip / scratch, although I did let them really cure before screwing them into place. (word to the wise)

I have them throughout the house for areas where I could not find a Decora switch / outlet which matched (think the colored ones are now called Renu).

However you end up hiding them (not highlighting them) you will be *much* happier. Much.

Exciting reveal! I feel like just yesterday you were showing us the plans for the kitchen. Everything is beautiful especially the cabinet color.

Where can we buy the Strong White paint sample? I’m looking for a good light neutral color for my main rooms in my new house. In our old house, with textured walls, we used BM Pale Oak. Flat walls seem less forgiving. I want to put a few options on the walls.

Merry early Christmas to us!! I was soooooooo excited to open the blog this morning to see this post! This kitchen is beyond dreamy and so perfectly executed. And that floor!!!!!!!!!! All the heart eye emojis!

Regarding the water softener – we rent ours for about $200 a year. Are there places in California that rent them? We are Canadian but it can’t only be a Canadian thing? That way if something happens to it, the company comes out and fixes it. We rent our hot water heater too.

Canadian viewer here too….and we also rent our water softener cause our water is SO full of copper that it essentially rots out the softener faster than you can pay for it. So, if you have issues, they come and fix it or replace it if necessary. We CANNOT have hard water – it stains the tub orange plus the water spots on everything is HORRIFIC! AND, my skin absolutely detests hard water. I can tell instantly when the water softener isn’t working cause my skin “puckers” up!!!

Gorgeous! Everything is so beautiful and full of love. Thank you also for including the costs– it helps to get a sense of the project as a whole, and the decisions and resources that have to go into it. Congratulations!

I highly recommend swapping the outlet on the island. Change the outlet plug for a black or brown version and use an unlaquared brass plate. It will look original to the house and blend in, but also stand out in the best way. Our 1925 house hasd the same combo and when we rewired I insisted on brown plugs in the older round style instead of decora square ones. The kitchen looks great and the island works. And if anyone comes over and asks why you needed to open up the wall you can point at the island and say “this is the shape of our kitchen, that’s why.” For some reason it’s easier to see on the small scale of the island how tight of a triangle the room is.

a ha! I didn’t about making the outlet itself black … we are definitely consiering brass but I was worried that the brass with the white would look silly, but if its black or brown you are right, they will disappear more. thank you!

I’m guessing that this outlet is a GFCI since it’s in the kitchen which would mean it has to be decora style (squared off). Check out the Leviton Renu Outlet line – they come in a range of colors with matching covers. We found a shade of medium gray that nearly perfectly matched our backsplash which really made them disappear.

wow! what a spectacular update to this space. you’re kitchen is so well done. I’m loving the lighting and mesh cabinets so, so much. the carpentry and design in the cabinets is amazing. you must be in heaven. My only edit would be the bar chairs. The white just doesn’t speak to me, all my eye wants to see is a wood tone and something more special. these seem so market saturated to me. They are gorgeous, of course, but I can’t help but think a unique star is waiting out there. 🙂 Congrats on such a beautiful redesign and enjoy every fleeting second of with those adorable babies!!

It looks really gorgeous. I was in the camp of painting more cabinets the lovely green, but the off-white looks great after all. And I love the new pendant. It’s perfect. Congrats on a job done so well – and on your new life!

2. STOVE – Why did you need six burners? I am being serious, given that it takes up counter space.

3. MICROWAVE – Why not just put it above the stove?

4. BRASS – Could you please show a photo of what these handles and faucet will look like AFTER the patina happens? I have seen so many posts touting the joys of un-lacquered brass once it ages, yet the posts show the products when they are still in like-new condition. Provide some photo evidence of how it will look, please.

5. OPEN CABINETS – How are you planning to mitigate grim build-up given your upper cabinets only have mesh? As an only-occasional chef, even I have problems with grim build-up on the things that are on my counter remotely near my stovetop. Yes, dust then sticks to the grim. But my real concern is the grim, not the dust. Dusting is easy (feather duster or microfiber, swipe, done). Getting that grim off is difficult (liquid soap + a lot of elbow grease).

6. SINK – Why are farmhouse-style sinks trending? I get that this is an English country kitchen, and that this is the right kind of sink for this kitchen. My question is a general one, based on this type of sink being ubiquitous in 2015-present kitchens, and not related to this specific kitchen.

7. WINDOWS – I noticed that you do not have curtains. In my area, neighbors live close enough that everyone has window coverings of some kind. If this had been an issue for you, what would you have chosen?

All of my questions don’t take away from my enjoyment of this post (or the adorable photos of Birdie!) – I just would prefer more info. on the topics above provided in this post, or another post (either one that was leading up to this reveal, or in a post-reveal wrap-up post).

ugh, I *hated* having the microwave over the stove. Why would it ever seem like a good idea to have to lift boiling hot things over your head to retrieve them???

Plus, when I would cook on the stove, the handle to the microwave would get SUPER hot. I much much much prefer a tucked away microwave, just like Emily chose. Plus, microwave “hoods” never really work. A true range hood is far preferable if you can swing it.

I was just reading thru the comments to see if anyone else asked about that stepstool! I want to know too! My almost 3 year-old loves to “help” in the kitchen and that looks so much safer than a chair.

We have our microwave on the counter. I started keeping it unplugged after my then 2 year old managed to climb onto the counter so he could play with the many fascinating musical buttons. So this thing where it is at toddler height would personally make me insane, but probably Emily’s kids are far better behaved than mine.

I also prefer white appliances over stainless steel, but we could not find a good stove in white (at least in our price range.) So we ended up with a stainless stove but white refrigerator and dishwasher. Hopefully by the time the stove dies, there will be more options in appliance finishes.

I am so jazzed about this kitchen! It is so different from what I would have expected, and love the design risks you took. It is of the moment without being trendy or basic. I am also selfishly excited to see the Massey pulls in a real kitchen since I am seriously considering them for the kitchen reno I’m in the middle of. Did you use the 8″ on everything? We have a variety of drawer sizes (11.5″,27.5″, 36″) and debating about what sizes to get!

I love, LOVE this kitchen!! what a spectacular design. the quality of carpentry and design in the cabinets is amazing. It is simple and modern all together. just gorgeous. I think the lighting and mesh are my favorite details. the only edit I would make are the bar stools. My eye is searching for a wood tone and something more, special. These are of course gorgeous, but they seem overplayed in the market. There’s a unique star out there somewhere.

What a beautiful family you have. enjoy ever second of every fleeting day. Happy Holidays!!

My eye is searching for something to tie in the sconces. They stick out like a sore thumb in style and color to me, and maybe barstools with black/brass could help? Preferably, just give up on them. They just don’t actually work.

WATER SOFTENER – we JUST moved cross country to north east Florida into 2 year old 3750 Sq. foot $$$ home. All beautiful custom faucets in kitchen, bar and 3.5 baths had lime, scale, Emily-not-approved gunk on them. Every neighbor said we MUST have a water softener and could not believe the first and original homeowner did not put one in. My husband spent entire day cleaning all faucets and a water softener was installed by week’s end. Same hubby called 3-4 companies and was confidant installing chosen one for out home – cost $1600. It’s on wall in garage. I can’t speak to LA prices but I would shop around a bit more. Absolutely worth it for brass and any expensive plumbing.

I would run water in that house with out the best softener you can buy. Our hard water is awful on my hair. Just awful. Not to mention our appliances and clothes. And that’s with a mediocre softener. It’s crucial that you have clean water.

Ha. Hre is a secret. They got refinished 4 days ago, 5 days after this shoot so we actually had to photoshop them in this shoot (which was crazy hard – they were stripped at this point but not stained). You’ll see them soon and they actually look even better now. Stay tuned!

Cosigned, SO HARD. This may be marble sacrilege, but I’ve found that stains can easily be lifted out with a little liquid soft scrub left to dry then scraped off. Seal afterwards. Works like a charm, doesn’t seem to harm the marble one bit.

We have both counters and backsplash of slab Calacatta Xtra and for the first maybe two years I was so on it with sealing and resealing, and then I stopped giving a shit. My husband, who is our primary cook (and is a freaking amazing cook — we are so lucky), left a puddle of turmeric on a counter and it got through my stinkily applied sealer (that stuff is foul and I would only do it if the kids [who were little like Emily’s] were out of the house all day or asleep so wouldn’t be in the breathing that toxic nastiness for many, many hours). Like Rachel said, SoftScrub with Bleach is terrific (seriously fabulous), although I did also make a poultice for a rust stain and it was fantastic. But the rust only happened once, whereas the SoftScrub is a frequent friend …. And ps, the turmeric stain did come out. When others have attempted to give me a hard time for having a marble counter / backsplash I just smile, knowing that **I** could not have had anything else. It makes me happy, and seriously, to still feel joy looking at them nine years after installation? That’s a good thing.

wow. i got a lump in my throat during the part about being able to effortlessly go outside. i wasn’t expecting to have an emotional response–but i SO remember how lovely it was when we had a new patio poured to replace our broken, trashy, smashed up concrete patio. The kids couldn’t walk on it without help, so it was a chore to get all three of them outside. Our new patio made life so much easier! You are going to LOVE it and it will be a total game-changer for you. I am EXCITED for you about this!

The island is PERFECT and I think the island pendant is my favorite part of the whole kitchen! Thanks for sharing all of it. It really is stunning. (and white outlet covers on the island makes it real & relate-able.)

oh, ps. I don’t think softeners have to be that much. That seems high to me. Keep researching. Could be a regional expense that causes the difference, but I’m certain we paid far less than that for a good one! I’m not an expert, though, so who knows.

Wow, Emily. This is so tasteful and gorgeous. The island looks amazing. It all looks very compact and efficient also. My favorite elements are the marble and that island light fixture! I personally would choose more traditional sconces and wood stools, but those are elements that bring in your personal taste and I think the complete picture is such a perfect blend. Well done.

Damn, girl, you really pulled it off! This is gorgeous and making me SO jealous, especially that pot filler!!!

I’m not obsessed with the white bar chairs… I know you said that you love them more than the wood, but I feel like it’s a wee bit too much contrast against the green island. As long as the wood chairs have *enough* contrast w/ the wood floors, I feel like I’d prefer the wood. My $0.02, not that you asked for it. 😉

We inherited a water softener with our house and I don’t ever not want to have one again. I’m always itchy and the soft water helps so much with that. But, the only drawback is that you, pets, and plants can’t consume soft water. So we have a second filter in the kitchen that filters the soft water, we have a separate faucet (so there are two faucets, but the filtered one is small) at the sink, and then a separate line running to our fridge. Maybe the previous owners just set it up funny, but it’s a little bit of a pain. Oh and buying salt is a HUGE pain. Our system holds about 6 40 pound bags and it probably lasts 4-6 months.

The kitchen is beautiful! I love the tile and the white cabinet color!

Oh, it’s so, so pretty! You get to live there! i want to walk into that tile and live in it. Also, must find a way to incorporate that beautiful F&B green into my home! And I hear you on life getting easier. We just moved into a new apartment that has a little back patio/tiny garden off the kitchen and it is a dream to let my kids out on their own. Life just gets so much better with that. But in my experience I wouldn’t call this a tiny kitchen – size is so relative, isn’t it? When I lived in the suburbs it would have seemed small, but after living in cities for so long, that seems like a good size kitchen. Big, even.

I have totally painted the outlet part. We rent and had 80s beige outlets–I wasn’t going to pay to replace them and wasn’t going to live with them, either.

I just sanded lightly with fine-grain paper, primed and then painted two coats (latex wall paint). It has never come off, though you might get a few scratches in a plug you use often. I’m sure it’s not something you’re “supposed to do,” but I did it and have never been sorry!

Hi Emily
Congrats on your new kitchen and house.
I love to follow the renovation and love most of your choices but one thing I don’t understand and which I sadly, think detracts from the kitchen are the stainless steel appliances. Everything else is brass/gold and the two metals seem to fight with each other.
And I think it is a shame that the dishwasher and fridge isn’t integrated in the kitchencabinets. Where I live (Denmark) those are almost always integrated (unless you have a SMEG fridge?) Integrated appliances calms the eye and it looks more expensive, at least to me.
I hope you and your family will enjoy your New kitchen and spent many happy days in there.

I agree with the comments about the stools. My first thought on seeing the kitchen was, she needs to switch out those stools. They are the first thing my eye goes to (not a good thing). They kind of cheapen the whole look, and stand out even more and look jarring next to the color of the island. Maybe stools with some black that will tie in the black sconces? I imagine when you’re standing in the kitchen the black of the sconces tie in somewhat with the appliances, but looking into the kitchen there needs to be something else that is black. Love the tile!

HA. ok, originally we wanted the black ones. Those were out of stock. So then I chose the wood and those didn’t arrive in time so we borrowed the white ones the day before from three different DWR’s in LA. THen of course the wood ones arrived the morning of the shoot and somehow we all preferred the white ones. I will say that they are light wood, not a medium wood so maybe that is the problem. In a perfect world they are vintage thonet counter stools, but i don’t think those exist – mostly just dining chairs or bar height stools. I’m going to do a quick post to show you the difference between the white and wood stools and then you guys can help make the final decision. Right now since the white aren’t in stock the wood ones are still at my house. Maybe i’ll insta-story it next week?

I agree also. Please consider black stools. It will make the space more grounded and tie in the screens in the upper cabinets also. Dark wood would look warmer, but the black is grounded also. The white stood out to me as fillers for the shoot.

Hi Emily, Love, love, love it all. All the congratulations!
On the vintage counter stools; I couldn’t find counter stools I liked at the right height so bought vintage bar stools and cut down the legs to make them counter height: ta da!
Also in regards to the faucets, I’m not American and I’m a bit perplexed about all the things you have on the sink, there seems to be four different thingys. Can someone please explain what they all do?

The thing in the far left of the faucet is an air gap for the dishwasher (required by code in some areas) next to that is the sprayer and the small faucet in the far right is probably for filtered drinking water.

1. The best outlet covers for painting are the metal ones with a bit of a crinkled surface texture.

2. You can get the decora innards (the actual electric plug-in part) in a variety of colors. They won’t have your exact color, but there will be a shade that tones nicely.

3. Once you get that outlet sorted, the white seating will look even more beautiful and sculptural.

4. The code requirements for kitchens are a pain but very very smart. The day will come soon when you’ll be happy to plug in a laptop while seated, or get a helpful guest working wirh an appliance set up outside of your work area.

wowzers….BEAUTIFUL! the tile is especially stunning, as is the black matte grill. you and your team did such a wonderful job, and it’s fun to see a different design style from you. this makes me excited to see the rest of the house! the only things i don’t feel fully on-board with are the sconces…obviously you know far better than the rest of us non-designers, but if a room is going to mix styles, i usually find it more pleasing to the eye to see more than one item of a certain style (as in, if you have multiple mid-century decor items, it seems more purposeful)…i feel like those sconces just scream at me and aren’t in line with the rest of the kitchen’s feel, as opposed to blending in seamlessly (even while providing a bit of contrast, which i know you were going for). and the black is so harsh since there is no black elsewhere. but hey, like i said, you know WAY better than i do and, in the end, all that matters is that YOU like it! just noting the only piece that jumps out at me as a misfit. the kitchen is still absolutely gorgeous and the island shape turned out great!

Absolutely stunning in every detail! I love your impeccable taste and the teaching you provide. So glad you will be in a house for the littles to run in and out all day. With your perfect Cali weather it is the perfect house and set-up. Merry Christmas! I hope you get a well-deserved break with your sweet family in the new house over the holidays.

Very beautiful! The quirky island and grills make it for me. The sconces are perfect. I love the tile, Thank you so much for using marble! I even like the new floors. The furniture leg on the cabinets is cool too. Great job!

I LOVE THIS KITCHEN! My favorite post of yours EVER. Can you please tell me where you found the pendant? I know it’s a vintage piece, but which store did you find it in? I’m dying to find one that’s similar!

Stunning kitchen! I’ll admit that when you showed us the design plans, I didn’t think I would like the island. But it’s so lovely! I can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of this glorious new house.

Can you (or someone) explain what the other faucet on the right does? The one that looks like it just has a single hot water knob.

I love the understated look of this kitchen but I’d be wary of the all white stools – our stools get so much use and get scuffed very easily, I can’t imagine the upkeep on the white paint to keep it looking blemish-free.

Emily – fantastic job!! The kitchen is beautiful and fits the style of the house so well. Love the mix of old with some of the modern elements you chose.

Regarding your water softener question, $3K seems absurd to me!! Granted, I live in the Midwest (maybe everything is cheaper out here, just like housing), but we have some of the hardest water in the country with all of the limestone in the area. We’ve never paid more than $1,600 for a softener and I think our home is similar in size to yours.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend going the cheap route with a softener, but $3k seems much too high.

Your kitchen is so gorgeous! I am in love with the tile you used for the back splash! So pretty!
You mentioned you brought the table in the dining area in from your office, but can you tell us where it is originally from?
Thanks!

Try a Legrand adorne pop out receptacle on the island. They come standard in a dark grey finish that would contrast less with the green then the white plastic cover. Plus the pop-out feature is great and has 3 outlets!

Love the rest. It’s so beautiful, totally your style, and still perfect for your home. I was one of the “i want more green people” because of the inspiration images. This is utterly fantastic but still very different than the images you guys showed. This space is beautiful and classic, and everyone always changes their mind along the way, but man did this turn out different than the original design direction.

I’m going to reread this post 4 or 5 more times, there is so much to see. Congrats! It’s gorg!

I cannot contain my excitement that you are in a traditional home. YES! The vintage pendant and the look into the dinning room made me gasp! Lovely. As a mama of two myself, this will be AWESOME for your family.

So lovely. Now, regarding a water softener…absolutely, positively get one. Your appliances will thank you. Your skin and hair will thank you, your sparkly dishes and glassware will thank you. We have Culligan. They install and can service too. They will deliver salt and test your water every few months so you don’t have to head to the store and carry heavy bags of salt. Boring yes, worth it…yes! It’s about $2000 and worth every penny. We also had a whole house water filter put in at the same time so that the water in the entire house is drink worthy. Every faucet is filtered. Yay. Nice if you don’t want to go downstairs in the middle of the night for a decent tasting glass of water. A decision I don’t regret!

Thank you so much for the recommendation. Basically the expert at George’s plumbing in Pasadena (which I LOVE) was like – most of the cheap ones won’t work as well as you think. Of course the one he says is amazing is $3k and I don’t want to spend $1600 on something that isn’t going to REALLY do its job. But I don’t want to spend an extra $1500 if it isn’t worth it. I’ll look into Culligan. I can’t wait to spend money on softening my water (SARCASM). I will say that the hard water gets REALLY old having to basically clean each glass after we dishwash it (In the old house, not this one).

An AMAZING transformation! (Especially for such a short turn around. I’m gobsmacked and so pleased for you that everything got done in time and is so gorgeous!) Although fresh and sparkly, it really doesn’t feel like a brand spanking new kitchen in an older house. Instead, it looks so true to its surroundings, like it should have always been there. The only teensy thing that I’m not completely sold on are the plain white knobs on the cabinets. The brass pull are lovely, and I can understand not wanting to compete with them, but I think simple glass knobs would add a little sumthin-sumthin without taking up visual space. (I live in a rental apartment with an extremely outdated kitchen that have the simple white knobs, which maybe the reason for my reaction). Over all, it’s beatiful kitchen. May you and your family share many happy memories there!

HA. the painted knobs (which are painted the color of the cabinets, not white – but that is being SUPER picky) were controversial. Over here on the design team we loved the simplicity and the unexpected nature of them (i’m sure most people thought I was going to do brass knobs EVERYWHERE). Plus Ginny reminded me how traditional they are to an english style home. Done. But then Brian Henderson was like ‘uh, boring’ but then I showed him the price (like $1 a piece) and he agreed. He still thinks they look boring and wishes we had done latches (which I get and sometimes I also wish latches) but I truly like the simplicity and sweetness of the painted knob. Commence KNOB-Gate 2016!!

You should get a water softener- otherwise your beautiful new bathroom appliances (that I cannot wait to see) will be continuously covered in hard water stains that do not come off no matter how much you scrub. And hard water is bad for your hair when you wash it!

But you should not drink softened water-that is not great for your health according to some sources including our plumbers. The kitchen needs a separate outlet for non-softened water. Just my 2 cents since we went through this last year, and paying to replace old pipes that are full of scaling from non-softened water and barely have any outflow is not fun! And such a beautiful kitchen!

I love it. I feel like the design world (myself included) has been so entrenched in MCM for so long (which I still love) that I really enjoy seeing other takes on classic/modern style. And often when I do see something along the more traditional/country vibe it’s such a cliche seen-it-a-million-times version that I’m not really wowed. Also, when I see the “before” photos the biggest problem for me would have been the shape of the kitchen. So quirky! I would have thought it would be neigh unto impossible to figure out. You handled it so seamlessly, that I don’t think I would even notice odd shape if it wasn’t drawn to my attention. It really is a beautiful kitchen. When can I move in?

NOOOOOOOO. I’ve been waiting for this post for weeks because I was dying to get the source for that pendant. The fact that it’s vintage just broke my heart. If you ever replace and sell it, please let me be first in line to buy it. 🙁 🙁 🙁

I love this! You are smart to go classic and low key with your tile, unless you want something that will be dated soon and expensive to replace. I think you have kept faith with the age of the house while making it work well for you and your family. Nicely done, not that I ever doubted! Where is the beautiful blue and white utensil holder from?

It’a so, so pretty, Emily! I love how your design embraced the quirkiness of the original walls – makes it so much more harmonious than if you had gone with a more traditional island shape. You should be super proud of the space and your gorgeous family!

My only critique would be that if you painted the ceiling the same color as the island it would add balance the room. I know you are worried about it being too busy and making the small space look smaller – but I think it would amp up the cozy factor while making the cabinet details pop.

Beautiful kitchen, Emily! Also, if you decide to investigate more on the water softeners, I’d love to see a whole post on that topic. We have hard water and I’ve been wanting a water softener for some time (many of our neighbors have them), but I haven’t pulled the trigger because I feel guilty about the negative environmental impact. I know there are some alternatives out there to the typical ion exchange system (which leads to salt runoff), but not sure how well proven they are. Bottom line – I don’t know enough so if you do more research, I would love to hear what you come up with! I’d also love to put in a water purification system throughout the house too. Maybe you could tackle both topics 🙂

Stunning!! Love all the design details you selected. I may know of a solution to hide the outlet on your island. It’s called covered components. We featured them on our website last spring. I put the link in my name (hope that’s ok).

Congratulations!! It’s so beautiful! I love especially how it works with the rest of the house – completely in scale, even with the removal of a wall (or 2?).

I hope you love your marble countertops as much I love mine, but when I saw that orange sitting on the counter, I might have shrieked internally. Acid, as you likely already know, is the mortal enemy of marble and will etch it instantly. I feel like a chemist some days as I ‘discover’ more and more things that have an acid base. Did you know that dishwasher rinse aid is acidic? I learned the hard way and have a bottle shaped ring etched into my counter.

Good job getting it done on schedule!
It was a lovely surprise when you didn’t use the 7 inch fascia’s that were in your last drawing, esp since you were going custom and there not high ceilings.
The light fixture was a great find!
Your daughter is gorgeous.

Emily, Emily, Emily!!! Can I just list in random order all the details of your kitchen that I find a special variety of weak-in-the-knees swoon worthy..? The handmade tile with those insanely charming, match-the-age-of-the-house-perfectly uneven grout lines -my heart is racing already! The unplanned vintage pendant over the island -as if it was waiting it’s entire life to live there! I’m with you & love the spunky contrast the modern sconces bring to the party -room! Black mesh inserts rather than gold in your upper cabinet doors -meant to be! That island is the physical manifestation of you & your team’s true genius -problem solving, functional & beautiful! The marble -simply divine (I want someone to take a photo from above of the marble naked -no props- so my heart can finish dropping into my stomach)! Knobs over latches were a great last minute switch and make those large & lovely unlacquered brass pulls shine even brighter! Design choice to paint only the island that deep green -exactly right in the space! And those herringbone floors -sigh, I might have fallen in Actual Love with them… The single cast iron farm sink -oh so charming! Your professional appliances manage to just barely hold their own against the cute factors that are Birdie on her tiptoes & Charlie making pancakes : )! Oh my, almost forgot to mention the insane grace of that bridge faucet -sets my heart racing and has me pondering love & inanimate objects again… (And for some reason, I can’t get over this idea that letting the patina of the brass evolve naturally over time creates this unique, organic & live element which goes beyond design and is what imbues your kitchen with it’s magic..?) To simplify -I LOVE your new kitchen! just so, so good…
ps. congrats on your cold water dispenser & pot filler -true confirmations of adulthood ; )

Wow! that was so fast. It’s really beautiful and I love how one of your first thoughts when designing the kitchen was how would the children happily live in it. (bad grammar or run on sentence, you know what I mean though)

I’ve been trying to find contact information for Four Carpentry on this post and through The Google. Not having any luck! Where can I get in touch with this fine company that made your gorgeous cabinets? Thank you, thank you.

Yah, i coudln’t find it either! 4carpentersinc@gmail.com – ask for Mike and tell him that I sent you!! (Please, they didn’t give us a discount but they were AMAZING and rushed our job so I want to give them business).

Gorgeous kitchen! Beautiful job, Emily! I have to say I’m firmly in the paint the outlet camp, the sconces are not my taste (but if you like them, that’s all that matters) and I’m not wild about the white chairs. My personal experience with chairs of that style is that they get wobbly real fast and that’s not something you want with kiddos. I’d say live with what you have now and after a while make small changes. In a few weeks or months you may spot chairs that really sing to you and are perfect for your new kitchen. (I got the impression you’re not married to these particular chairs.)

Again, beautiful job! I love the tile and marble, light over the island and cabinets. You got a lot of push back on the island shape, but I’m glad you stuck to your guns! The island is perfect for the space and the touch of color makes it shine and it’s so useful for your family!

OMG, Birdie is walking and Charlie isn’t a toddler anymore, he’s a little boy! They change so fast when we haven’t seen them on the blog in a few weeks. So cute helping your husband with pancakes! Wishing you many happy memories in your new home!

GORGEOUS! I have marble and the cle tile too (but in stacked squares, subway style is so pretty!). For marble stains a little water and hydrogen peroxide soaked paper towels then cover with saran wrap for a day and stains disappear!

Lovely! I think you made exactly the right call on the size/placement of the island! Love the floors, tiles, etc. Still worried about dust. (No way, though, that you’re going to wax that faucet every week. Ha!)

That tile is to DIE for! Not to be negative-because I hate reading negative comments on blogs- but I had to mention my opinion on the sconces. The cone shape is SO strong and modern I think they draw too much attention? Just my two cents 😉 Obviously you love them and that’s what matters- so happy you finished your dream kitchen it’s beautiful.

I love it! Brian’s video is awesome, too. I’m so impressed with how you were able to make decisions so thoughtfully in such a short period of time. Your family will be very happy in that bright and happy home.

By the way, thanks for being a wonderful distraction during a discouraging era. I appreciate your political voice so much (that post on voting for HRC was so moving), but more than anything, I appreciate the emotional lift during an otherwise dark time. The relief that comes from reading the news and then jumping over to Emily Henderson’s blog is totally palpable! You are doing a good thing for my mental health 🙂

The kitchen looks beautiful, congrats! Love that marble, it’s really exquisite! And those tiles are so subtle but really stand out in a clean, organic way. The ONLY thing I would change are those white stools, they seem to stand out in a bad way; like I can’t stop staring at them. I think a natural wood or even black would be a nice contrast. Other than that, the kitchen is lovely and seems to speak to the history of the house. Enjoy!

ha! I mean the kitchen is insanely beautiful! I just couldn’t stop staring at the white stools! It would be interesting to see black or another contrast color (maybe even a Parisian Bistro stool with white/black in it? Not “English” but still old world feel). Still dreaming about those tiles! Also this is my first comment EVER on a blog in my life… had to comment about the dreamy kitchen and stools (sorry!). Good luck with the move. Congrats again.

Beautiful kitchen! I especially love the brass handles and the backsplash tile.

Water Softener. So important! We bought an inexpensive one (around $500) in our first home after living without one for the first three years we lived there. It made a world of difference but sadly, damage was already done from our very hard water. Our current home has a much higher end softener that we have to order special salt to use and I can’t tell any difference from our cheapie model. With both, I could always tell when the salt was low by my kids’ skin getting dry/eczema flares and the dishes being not as clean in the dishwasher.

The kitchen is gorgeous! I love the lighting, cabinets, island….almost everything. I just had to weigh in though and say I really dislike the white stools. I think wood ones or some with a light /caramel toned leather (maybe like the west elm slope counter stool?)

Good call on a single large sink – best decision we made with our reno (despite summary saying we needed a double). So much more useful imho.

Definitely consider the vintage brass covers for the island and maybe a black plug socket instead of the white. It will help it to blend in and also give it more of the timeless style you have going. Great design overall!

I’m so happy for you! You all nailed it. Working with that awkward shape and charm of the house. It’s not totally my style but still job well done. My eyes keep going to those sconces though :/ and the hood….but again – it works for YOU! 🙂

Absolutely stunning! Love the colors of the cabinets and island. I adore Green Smoke, but my rooms are too small (and dark floors — I need some light) for it and it is nice as an accent color here. I used a sample I bought to paint the urns in front of my house Green Smoke and they are very striking. Thanks for the detailed post!

What an amazing transformation. Thank you for keeping your upper cabinets and even keeping doors on them … this will stand the test of time, and it’s pretty and practical. I love the glass doors and the beautiful molding, and just about everything – light, colors etc. Congratulations.

I love the tiles, and the tight grout lines. The hardware and faucets are a ten! What is incongrous, to me, are the bar stools, painted beadboard, and the scones. I find it so jarring. I’m all about eclecticism but it’s like I’m watching Cyndi Lauper duking it out with Dolly Parton.

Great post and awesome job on the kitchen, but would you PLEASE stop using the made up word integrious? If you google it, you will find it only exists in crowdsourced dictionaries (which are not legit) like Wictionary and Urban Dictionary.

Once I could drag myself away from drooling over the gorgeousness of it all I was left with a burning question – the microwave installed under the island.
I’m moving into a house where it’s not possible to install a microwave into an upper cabinet. I don’t want a countertop microwave for aesthetic and space reasons – but my plan to install under the counter was met with negativity by my husband and friends.
Are there any drawbacks to this set up? Is it truly impractical as I’ve been told?
Any advice gracefully received.

OOH so far so good, but we haven’t moved in yet (next week). We simply dont have any other space for it, and i’m sure bending over won’t be my favorite thing to do, but I LOVE that we have more counter space. A good friend of mine has hers in her island and we cook all the time over there and it never occurred to me to be anything but a great place for it.

I have the microwave under the counter, but I was able to find the sharp drawer on craigslist. I lived with a regular microwave under the counter for about a week and it was awkward. I am surprised that my expensive (even from craigslist) microwave drawer is one of my favorite purchases. I have a three year old and five year old and they don’t play with it. My son was intrigued for one day and then went back to his legos.
My sister in law has an undercounted regular microwave like Emily and still loves it.

I’m not sure – it was all lumped in with the whole renovation (which my contractor quoted at $180k but we haven’t settled up yet). I would say somewhere around $50-70K? Sorry. Very not helpful. Basically NOT cheap. But worth it. (hopefully :))

I love your unique point of view. This kitchen is amazing and homey and timeless. HOLY CRAP people seriously love to add their 2 cents! I am still in the middle of a major kitchen Reno and agonize over every detail- I can’t imagine anyone swooping in when I am completely done and criticizing my choices (except my mother who does that on the daily).

Your kitchen is simply stunning! I am curious how your going to like your farm sink. We just build a house and I picked that same sink from Kohler and it already looks horrible 🙁 Which is really frustrating, because it wasn’t a cheap sink.

I’m currently house-sitting in a gorgeous old renovated farmhouse in New England with a similar, pristine new (since the renovation) farmhouse sink. I am under strict instructions to never, ever leave dishes sitting in the sink/let dishes touch the bottom. EVER!

I’ve had a white Kohler sink for about 10 years. I use Bar Keepers Friend a couple times a week, and it still looks almost brand new, despite my brutal treatment. Don’t know if BKF is recommended by Kohler, but it’s a great tough/gentle cleanser.

I have a one year old Kohler sink like this and need to buy Bar Keepers Friend. I’ve read great things about it! I have faint stains on the bottom of my sink and have found I had to really train my husband to RINSE the sink after anything goes down. OJ is a bad one – my kids would empty the remnants of their glass of oj in the sink but not rinse and it seems to have left faint yellow stains that I’m sure will come out with that bar keepers friend (I can start to get it up with some elbow grease & magic eraser but not all of it). Anyway, just rinse, use sink pads, and don’t just toss things into the sink.

would you be so kind as to share the name of the Target dining room chairs? I looked through their options & couldn’t find them…
DON’T love the sconces (or scones, as one commenter called them… I’d love them if they were scones) or faucet finish (I know it’s beautiful, it’s just too flashy for my liking.)
LOVE the tile (ah!!!!!), light pendant, Brian’s video & YOU!

Emily & Team, this is GORGEOUS! The kitchen has a beautiful English country home vibe (all the things you want in your family’s hub growing up: warmth, comfort, instant nostalgia), and the sconces remind me of two little elf hats! Basically, you are Snow White living in a dreamy cabin and next thing we know you will have birds helping you wash dishes and design the dining room. Can’t wait to hear all about it! Amazing work!

This kitchen is the ultimate transformation, well done! The iridescence of the cle tile is unbelievable. I find myself wishing (so desperately) that you would have used that green-veined marble slab as a waterfall, instead of the painted bead board. I think to view that marble as the entry point into the kitchen from your other room would look so good. You all did an incredible job…and you get to live there!!! Congrats!

Spectacular Emily! I love every single design element and your attention to detail. Re: water softener. We wouldn’t live without it. Our hair is soft, we have no hard water stains and we even ran one line to an outside spigot so that we could wash our car!

My parents have lived in Arcadia for 34 years with water softener. We didn’t have it at first and everything was incredibly grimy. You have the same LA county water over there in Los Feliz. If you don’t get it, there is a possibility that an orange film will settle over everything–toilet bowls, marble tile, showers, that beautiful farmhouse sink. I don’t know if my parents’ favorite plumbers go out your way, but they love GEM plumbing. They may have a Sierra Madre, Pasadena, Arcadia office. I’m not sure. They are a company that tells it like it is. I am certain that my parents did not spend much as they are incredibly frugal.
I think that the kitchen is beautiful. It’s funny that I’ve been excitedly checking your blog daily waiting for the big reveal. I’ve been more excited for this than Christmas.
I like the white stools.
I know as a designer, you hate the outlet, but I look at it and see luxury. That is so functional. If you stay in the house, your kids will sit there and do there homework and plug in the laptop or the device. If you bake, there is room for your stand mixer or immersion blender or vitamix…
Bravo. It is lovely and I think the island works. I think a round table would have been lovely too, but then you wouldn’t have the counter space or the function with the storage. It’s truly an old world house with modern updates.

Thank you, Lisa. LA advice is absolutely taken (we’ve already called around today to get quotes on water softener as so many of you have told me that its worth it). And thanks, re the outlet – I KNOW its great to have, but so good to have that re-affirmed (but yes, we are going to try to minimize the contrast).

The stainless steel is so jarring, white would have been better if not integrating them. The modern sconces too, I just think you would change them down the road. The kitchen would feel really authentic to the house if you take out the stainless steel and those sconces. Now it just feels a tad Eclectic. And thank God you changed the chandelier because the previous one looks too cheap and modern for your home. This one actually really feels like it came with the home! And yes sometimes you need to compromise design choice because husband is taller (like in my case too).

My fave things: the pendant, the tiles on the back splash.
I personally would have preferred wood-grained stools to the white ones. And re the microwave, are you worried that your kids will walk by and push the buttons? I guess you’ll just teach them not to do that.
It’s a huge improvement, that is for sure!

Love everything about this kitchen! I usually am more of a modern girl but this is seriously winning me over.
And I like the white stools, I think it really makes the green pop and adds a great contrast!

you mentioned you love the paint color and are now going to use the same color on your living room walls/ceiling. im planning on painting as well (our master and living room) and wanted to ask for your thoughts on keeping the walls/ceiling the same color white vs different shades of white for wall vs ceiling. thank you!

Gorgeous. It’s full of very special details and bold choices, yet its still a kitchen where I can envision being, you know, not something beautiful than you see in a magazine but can’t imagine having at home.

Beautiful kitchen Emily! I hope you and your family enjoy many happy years in it!
I would suggest stainless steel outlet covers on the island. They won’t stand out as much against the paint colour on the island. Or maybe paint the outlet covers the same colour as the island?
Enjoy the space and good luck with the move! Merry Christmas!

Hi Emily! I never comment but read and admire everything you do! I am thrilled to see you take on and put your spin on a traditional home. As an owner of a 100 year old historic house, I just have one suggestion that has helped me in making decisions (and that I learned the hard way). Anything attached to the home (lights, hardware, molding, even rugs) I try to match the age and style of the home. That way it looks original and classic so you can’t go wrong. I think that is why your pendant looks so seamless and stunning. Doing this allows the space to look more collected over time when you layer it with modern accents (especially accent furniture which you have so many amazing pieces of). Switching out those stunning sconces could go a long way in making the space more cohesive. Then the stools could be a pop of modern. I wish I could attach pictures! My sister (a devout midcentury lover who sold her midcentury home and is building a modern farmhouse) is doing a very similar devol inspired farm kitchen and found the most beautiful wooden, simple, yet modern stools. Either way, the kitchen is beautiful and I can’t wait to see the rest of the house! Thank you for allowing us in on the process!!

Oh dear. I am a big fan of EH. I usually love Emily’s work and also how she talks about life and current events. This kitchen, however, I think missed the mark. I don’t see much old world in here. If Emily and her family are happy, then that’s all that matters. The place looks fine because she was able to pay a lot of money and everything is high quality. But everything looks like it comes from such different eras and styles to me. I like eclectic … I’m just not feeling it.

Gorgeous kitchen! I love the combination – so refreshing to see a kitchen I haven’t seen anywhere else before. How did your tile installer finish off your backsplash on the edge where it ends (on the side where it is open, not where it hits the cabinet). It doesn’t look like the CLE tiles have an accompanying trim – is it just the raw edge of the tiles?

Amazing!! LOVE it! Well done!! Not sure what I love more, the bar stools, the ‘golden’ details or the color of the island, it’s all great!!
For anyone else wanting to renovate, I really got inspired and found this cool tool that lets you estimate the cost of a renovation project for free (and it is very accurate). You can even calculate equity built onto your home: https://app.mykukun.com/Home-Renovation-Costs

I love everything about your new kitchen from the quirky shape to the light fixtures and handles. Just one thing–can you post a picture of the island with the natural finish stools when they come? I just want to see a comparison with the white ones. I’d like to see the contrast between the wood and the rest of the kitchen. Please?

Beautiful kitchen!
Water softeners…we got a 400 dollar one from Lowes. Had it for about 15 years now and never a problem. Hubby puts a bag of salt in it about every 3 months or so. Love having soft water in the shower And its better for your clothes. I would keep the kitchen faucet regular water tho. Soft isn’t good for cooking or watering plants.
Whoever told you that you need a big old expensive system is wrong!

PLEASE STOP! You are the reason all the wonderful bloggers are posting less and less. We are not entitled to this information; this is shared for our benefit and enjoyment. Please stop ruining it for the rest of us who appreciate the wonderful and transparent glimpse into another’s lovely lifestyle. If you do not enjoy it, save up $70K and design your own gorgeous kitchen. I promise, if you invite me over or share a photo, I will keep my negative comments to myself. Thank you, on behalf of those who do enjoy reading this delightful blog.

Hi Emily! Congrats on a beautiful kitchen!!! Hope you get to live in and enjoy it soon. Any chance you could share that matte sealer name / brand with me? I have white oak floors just days away from being sealed and everything we’ve tried is making them sooo dark. Thank you!!!

I have been checking the blog EVERY SINGLE DAY for this! I serendipitously bought my house at the same time you bought yours, and am also going from a mid-century to a more classic style, AND I’ve been going through a hellish remodel AND we only moved in last weekend, so seeing yours come out so beautifully (as expected) while at the same time enjoying my own results is more satisfying than I can even say.

So beautiful! I hope you are thankful every single day for the blessings bestowed upon you. So many strive to honor your insight with a simple five gallons of paint, because that’s all we can do. You inspire us all, no matter the budget most of us have to work with!

OK it’s stunning. I think the tile, the black sconces and the brass pulls are my favs. If I had one teeny suggestion, we were going for simple bar stools with backs until our architect found 5 slim tall plain painted stools (no back) at a tag sale for us to use temporarily. Well, you know the ending of this story. Keepers. Why? Visually they are happy because there is no back to break up that sight line but more importantly they are way more fun and useful for kids and adults. You sliiide on and off, can easily turn to hang w/ a crowd in the adjacent room and — kids can’t lean back and topple like they would with a backed stool. Any boy worth his salt is gonna kneel up, grab that back and lean back and bam! down they go. Stools are cool. Stools rule.
P.S. How come no one has invented actual paintable outlets (I know you can paint covers but then you just have silly outlet faces staring at you )? Someone would make a FORTUNE. Anyone?

Boy oh boy are there some strong opinions on here! But the most important thing of all is that YOU LOVE IT! That’s what matters. Not what any of us think 🙂 Though I think your kitchen looks amazing, I love the island shape, and plenty of others love it, too! Can’t wait to see the rest of the house!

It’s just lovely, Emily. I love love love the tile, and adore the lights (both styles!), and OMG that floor! It’s amazing that you got it done in such a short amount of time. I so appreciate you sharing the process with us.

While the mesh is a nice touch, I would (almost) be willing to bet money that you will be changing it out for glass in a year or two, when the dust and grime have co-mingled into a horrid, sticky mess of disgusting goo that can only be removed with regular applications of Krud Kutter. Feel free to ask me how I know… 🙂

I am in the probably-not-the-white-stools camp. Show us the wood ones when you get a chance! I also like the suggestion of backless stools – I have nephews and I can just see them taking inadvertent “toboggan” rides on anything with a back.

They’re actually designed for sinking into windowsills for window candles, can you imagine!? But they don’t need a junction box and the covers can be painted, so on our navy island there are just two little flat circles under the counter on each side. When we need an outlet we pop the covers out temporarily.

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Emily is a stylist, author and T.V. host with a strong commitment to vintage inspired approachable home style for every single person. Perfection is boring; Let’s get weird. learn more

Interior Design Blog by Emily Henderson

I started this interior design blog in 2010 as a journal of my style and home projects with the belief that design should be approachable, informational and accessible no matter what budget.

As a home style expert who has a strong commitment to peeling back the intimidating layers of the world of home decor, and showing how every person can have a beautiful home that represents their personality, no matter what the budget.

After styling for magazines and catalogues for years, I started my own interior design blog, won HGTV Design Star, and have gone on to host my own hit TV show Secrets from a Stylist, Author the book STYLED, and create the design firm Emily Henderson Design.

My motto has always been to write and publish on my blog what I personally want to read about.